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Raiders Running Back Justin Fargas
DOLPHINS VS. RAIDERS
GAME FACTS
DATE: Sunday, Nov. 16
TIME: 1:00 p.m. ET
SITE: Dolphin Stadium
TV: CBS
THE SERIES
SERIES RECORD: Oakland leads 19-12-1 (including playoffs)
AT MIAMI: Raiders lead 8-7-1
AT OAKLAND: Raiders lead 10-4
AT LOS ANGELES (Raiders played in L.A. from 1982-94): Tied 1-1
LAST MEETING: 2007 at Miami; Raiders 35, Dolphins 17
SERIES HIGHLIGHT: When the NFL returned to action in 2001 after 9/11, there wasn't a more thrilling game than the Dolphins' 18-15 victory over the Raiders in Miami. The Dolphins won in the final seconds on Jay Fiedler's quarterback scramble, and the finish was memorable enough that it made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
SERIES LOWLIGHT: You don't have to go back very far to find one. Last year's matchup, also in Miami, featured the return to Dolphin Stadium of quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who had been released in the offseason. It was a bad day for the Dolphins, but a great one for Culpepper, who ran for three touchdowns and pointed at his surgically repaired knee while doing an OK sign after the last one.
SCOUTING REPORT
OAKLAND'S RECORD: 2-7
LAST GAME: Lost to Carolina, 17-6
THE OAKLAND OFFENSE: How do you lose a game when holding the opposing quarterback to seven completions in 27 attempts? The Raiders showed how last Sunday with their anemic offense. Oakland is last in the NFL in scoring in 2008 and also last in passing offense. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the first overall pick in the 2007 draft, has yet to show much consistency and it doesn't help that he doesn't have great receivers at his disposal. The one thing the Raiders do fairly well on offense is run the ball, even though rookie Darren McFadden has been bothered by a toe injury and is a question mark for Sunday's game. Justin Fargas, the son of Huggy Bear from "Starsky & Hutch", had a huge day on the ground against the Dolphins last season, but if the Dolphins can contain him this time, Oakland doesn't appear to have the passing game to hurt Miami.
THE OAKLAND DEFENSE: The Raiders have been slightly better on defense than on offense, but not by much. Of course, the big story with the Oakland defense was the release of cornerback DeAngelo Hall, for whom the Raiders gave up second- and fifth-round picks just this offseason. Hall was a flop in Oakland, but the cornerback on the other side, Nnamdi Asomugha, is having yet another good season. Because he plays for a team that has struggled for several years, he doesn't get the recognition he deserves, but he's clearly among the best cornerbacks in the league. Hall's struggles notwithstanding, Oakland's pass defense has been pretty solid all year. Where the Raiders have gotten hurt is with the running game. Oakland is allowing opponents an average of 4.6 yards per rushing attempt, so we can expect a heavy dose of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown on Sunday. If the Dolphins attack through the air, it's a safe assumption they'll do it on the side opposite Asomugha.
THE OAKLAND SPECIAL TEAMS: The Raiders made a bold move in 2000 when they spent a first-round pick on kicker Sebastian Janikowski and later took punter Shane Lechler in the same draft. Eight years later, both still are handling the kicking chores in Oakland. Janikowski has been a bit inconsistent with his field goals, but nobody in the league has more range - even though then-coach Lane Kiffin stretched things a little when he had him try a 76-yard field goal on the last play of the first half in a game against San Diego this season. Lechler, meanwhile, is among the best punters in the league year in and year out. Johnnie Lee Higgins handles the kick return chores for the Raiders, but he hasn't had great success this season. On the flip side, Oakland's coverage teams have been pretty good.
LOOKING AHEAD
NOV. 23 - NEW ENGLAND AT DOLPHINS
Nobody would have believed it before the season started, but first place in the AFC East could be on the line when the Patriots come to Dolphin Stadium. The Patriots have survived the season-ending knee injury to Tom Brady and shared the division lead with the New York Jets heading into their Thursday night showdown this week. The Patriots also rebounded from the 38-13 pounding the Dolphins put on them in late September, so getting a season sweep of New England for the first time since 2000 won't be easy. New England's defense has been playing well of late, although the loss of linebacker Adalius Thomas to a broken forearm will hurt. On offense, the player to watch remains former Dolphins wide receiver Wes Welker, who this season became the first player in NFL history to catch at least six passes in each of the first nine games.
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